Path 2

Path 2

Download: Sweet Bulbs, “Acid and TV”

October 26, 2010

Yes In My Backyard is a semiweekly column showcasing MP3s from new and emerging local talent.

Brooklyn lo-fi newbies Sweet Bulbs run the sunrise-punk of bands like Hüsker Dü through the modern machinery of dreampop, dreamgaze, and dreamnoise–think your fave Captured Tracks band running straight from the beach to the moshpit. Their music (slated for an upcoming self-titled 12″ on Blackburn) is equal parts anthemic, hazy, ballsy and sweet-toothed–No Age without the age, Best Coast without the coast. The band is cobbled together from the remains various end-of-the-aughts Brooklyn acts–drummer Ray Weiss was the mastermind behind scuzzpoppers Le Rug, guitarist Michael Sheffield was in cassette-friendly punkers Michael Jordan, and bassist Jack Wolf was in earnest power-poppers the Crayons. But the band truly finds its voice through a relative newcomer, frontwoman Inna Mkrtycheva, whose gnashing is equal parts Karen O and Florence Machine. Recorded in a friend’s basement in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, “Acid and TV” is a 88-second churner that’s equal parts fistpump and sugar high. Play it twice in a row.

Download: [audio-1]

What is “Acid And TV” about?

Michael Sheffield, guitar: It’s about schizophrenia, or not knowing what to do as someone has a mental breakdown. “Acid and TV” was one of the first Sweet Bulbs songs I wrote. I guess the idea at the time was to meld the sound of ’90s noise/pop acts with the college rock pop/punk sound of bands like Jawbreaker and Hüsker Dü.

What is your most memorable experience on acid?

Sheffield: I saw a giant pink Hindu elephant.Ray Weiss, drummer: My most memorable experience was not on acid.

And what about your favorite contemporary TV show?

Inna Mkrtycheva, vocals: I don’t really like a lot of current TV shows. I like Law & Order SVU. And It’s Always Sunny. And Curb Your Enthusiasm.Sheffield: When we were on tour, we were watching TV in a hotel room in Washington, D.C. and the only programs we could agree on were American Psycho, a show about volcanoes, and an interview with a woman who had written a book on Eleanor Roosevelt.

What’s the most memorable show you’ve ever played in New York?

Weiss: Shows aren’t memorable.Sheffield: At the Bushwick Block Party this year, we played in a garage as it rained outside. It was a total wash and probably should have sucked but people stuck it out and got soaked as we played our songs.Jack Wolf, bass: The Silent Barn on Inna’s birthday.Mkrtycheva: Maybe the one on my birthday, but mostly because it was my birthday.

What’s your favorite place to eat in Brooklyn?

Sheffield: The best pizza I’ve had in all North Brooklyn was this pretty unassuming place called Sicily’s Best in Bushwick. They claim all their ingredients come straight from Italy, which I don’t believe, but it’s a good slice.Weiss: Fuck Brooklyn, the better food is in Manhattan, it’s all about Italian baby.

Sweet Bulbs play the Tortilla Factory in Bushwick on October 29 with Eternal Summers and Web Dating. Then they hit 171 Lombardy on October 30 with DOM, Smith Westerns, Yellow Fever, and Total Slacker.

Are you an emerging local band who has an upcoming 7″, MP3, or album? Are you not totally fucking terrible like 90% of the bands in this city? Then please send us an email at yesinmybackyard@gmail.com. Links and YSIs only. No attachments please!